Knowledge Is Power
by Moniker Slash
Summary: Aleksandra Mekal, informant-in-training, had always thought that she was an orphan, with no family. Then she discovers that she has a brother, one who isn't entirely human...and soon, Aleksandra, her guardian Akira and her mystery of a brother find themselves in the dark and unpredictable world of Dora... Nah. Just kidding. This story's in the Death Note category for a reason.


**Chapter One: I Has a Brother?! My Brother Be a WHAT?**

**(Just a note: There is a character named "Akira" in this. His nickname is Kira. Pray do not confuse this debonair and daring Kira with the sadistic potato-chip-eating Kira. Just sayin'.)**

**Ah! And, before I forget...**

**All OCs in this story, including Xander Knox, Akira Kendo, Aleksamdra Mekal, and Rhett Connors. But any mentions of of other fandoms or products belong I their respective owners. Like, Black Butler belongs to Yana Toboso. And Spongebob belongs to that guy who made it up. And Death Note, the reason this story is even on this website and not on Fictionpress, belongs to the amazing Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Oh, how brilliant those two are...**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the product resulting from the expression 42m(d) Moniker Slash (m42) times Death Note (d). Man, I hate math.**

* * *

><p>Being myself is an unbearable task. It's such a burden, mentally and physically. It's such a drag to be fearing for my life, all the time.<br>This is a piece of writing hat will likely be read by others, so allow me to extend the courtesy of introducing myself.  
>I'm known all over the underworld as Aleksandra Mekal, but that's not my real name. Not even close. Before, I mentioned that I fear for my life, but I'll be quick to say that I am not a murderer, nor am I a thief, nor am I a criminal. I am, however, the apprentice of one of the most well-known informants in Japan.<br>And, being a considerably threatening informant-to-be and having the same enemies as my teacher, I've been targeted quite often.  
>Kendo Akira, his alias always has been, is an extremely good teacher and practically my big brother. He actually saved me from starvation on the streets when I was seventeen. Well, now I'm twenty and he's twenty-six and I'm healthier and stronger than ever. And I have him to thank.<br>About the time that I started writing this, I was walking home after having run an errand that involved a trip to the bank. It was then that I had one of the scariest experiences that I've ever had.  
>I didn't hear him coming; I felt him. I felt myself get tackled and the wind being knocked out of me and I felt the sidewalk painfully against my back. It was a few moments after I opened my eyes that I got a good look at his face.<br>"He" was actually a very handsome young man, about Akira's age, maybe a bit older. His eyes were an attractive shade of green and his black hair shaded his face and his skin was perfectly smooth. He wore a kind, yet slightly patronizing smile that would have most girls fainting.  
>"Hello, Ms. Aleksandra Mekal," he said smoothly, with a low chuckle, looming over me.<br>I couldn't speak. I was unsettled, no, frightened. A hot blush had worked its way to my cheeks. But then, I guess that's the normal reaction for when you're a girl and an attractive man is straddling you.  
>"Hm, you're a quiet one," was all he said. "Don't worry, I have no intentions of raping you. Not here, anyways."<br>My eyes widened and I gasped. _Oh my god._  
>He laughed, before his face became stone. "Now, look. You are Aleksandra Mekal. You are the apprentice of Kendo, right? Yes? Yes. You are. Then that's good, I've got the right person."<br>"F-for what?" I managed. My teeth were chattering uncontrollably now. I caught a scent of his breath. Minty, sweet. Clean. He really did try. Then I noted the scent of cigarettes under the mouthwash. Obviously he didn't try hard enough.  
>He sighed. "Surely you know me."<br>"No..."  
>"That's sad, informant-in-training. You of all people should know that I'm a highly successful hitman."<br>That was when the real rush of fear hit me. He's a hitman, he's after me, and he's going to kill me.  
>The hitman pulled out a cruel looking knife and held it to my lips.<br>"Contain that scream, Ms. Mekal, we're out in public, don't forget. And don't worry. It will only last about five minutes. It will be excruciating, but short."  
>He shifted the blade so that it sliced my cheek open.<br>It didn't hurt so much as scare me into action. I'd been lying motionless like an idiot, waiting for my death. I had to move.  
>Without thinking, I immediately drew up my leg, primed myself, and kneed the creep in that weak spot for all males.<br>The reaction was immediate. He sucked in sharply, uttered a curse word, and fell sideways, wincing and holding his hand protectively over his injured area. His free hand picked up the knife and thrust it at me, though it was obvious that his dominant hand wasn't the one he used, because the weapon gave me a slash on the arm and nothing more.  
>I scrambled to my feet blindly and ran for home, ignoring the hitman's calls and threats.<br>My legs made the trip automatically, which was good. It seemed as if I was suddenly there, barreling into Akira's large and spacious apartment and locking the door.  
>I sank to the ground slowly, breathing deeply. Calm yourself.<br>The sound brought my instructor, savior, and adopted brother into the room, and his usual smirk-smile dropped off of his face.  
>"Aleks," he said lowly, picking up the first-aid kit and kneeling by me. "Leks. What the heck happened to you? Wait. No. Nobody cares. Who did this to you?"<br>He stared at me as his hands worked, cleaning and bandaging my cuts, gently but efficiently.  
>I bit my lip.<br>"I'm...not sure. I don't know his name. But... Kira, don't tease me for this, but he was attractive. Really, really handsome. He had a good fashion sense, too." He nodded but said nothing, though his mouth did quirk a bit. I sighed and continued. "He was about your age and looked like he used Maybelline every day. Hm...green eyes...and..." I thought. Then remembered something else. "Oh. And he smelled like mint and cigarettes."  
>I've never seen Kira angry. Or, not really. He did get annoyed, and I've seen him take out his frustration on the couch in the living room. But as realization appeared in his face, so did fury. Kira's mouth set in a venomous scowl and he closed his unique golden eyes, tugging on his equally unique black hair, namely, the one long piece that hung two inches longer than the rest.<br>"Knox," he growled. "That...that piece of—" _Knox... So that was the man's name?_  
>Clenching his fists, he stood up and zipped the black jacket that he pretty much never took off.<br>"Aleks," he said in a dangerously cheery fashion. "I have some business to take care of. There's a pistol on the kitchen table." Now I was surprised. He usually never let me touch a gun, afraid that I'd accidentally shoot myself. "Take it and keep an eye out. If it moves, shoot it. If it's a friend, pray to God that you missed." His voice held absolutely no humor, and so I wasn't sure if he was joking or not.  
>I nodded and he ruffled my hair.<br>"Be right back, kiddo."  
>The rage Kira had displayed dissipated. Or, no, 'dissipated' isn't the right word. It simply settled into that quiet rage that he conveyed through smirks and cold laughter, threats and stinging insults. Anyways, he was much calmer now, and when he left, he left striding along like he was having the best day of his life, even whistling.<br>I moved over to the couch in the living room and sank down onto it gratefully, as I loved the couch and it had been there with me ever since I'd met Kira. My fingers glided across the black leather, so like the jacket that was currently tied around my waist. I sighed, remembering Knox, the creepy hitman, and closed my blue eyes, never wanting to see him again.  
>I thought of my abilities as an informant and bit my lip slightly, dredging up pieces of information. The names of all the businessmen in the area, the number of people living here, the best contacts to have in the underworld...<br>Then my eyes flew open. It was like I'd suddenly remembered part of a confidential report or something along those lines...  
>Xander Knox, age 28, gender male, has the reputation of being the best hitman in all of Japan...is currently taking orders from Vinci Anaheime, though pursuing a personal mission as well, namely, eliminating the famed informant Dashiell "Akira" Arden...<br>Dashiell Arden, Kira's real name. I knew that, I'd always known that. He trusted me with it, and really, he couldn't have cared less if I called him Dash. I was a future informant, though, and I knew well that names were important, and that sometimes, it was safer to use the alias. Besides, he respected my privacy by calling me Aleksandra. It would only be fair for me to extend the same courtesy to him.  
>I sighed again. I never got to use my name. I was always Aleksandra Mekal. It was stupid and it frustrated me so, so much.<br>"I just wish we were somewhere else!" I muttered loudly.  
>"That can be arranged."<br>I yelped, I'll admit it. I fell onto the floor, I'll admit it.  
>Sitting on the other side of the couch was a young man, obviously older than Akira, leaning lazily onto the leather and flicking dark hair out of pale blue eyes. He studied my face with an intelligent eye, then nodded in...what was that? Approval?<br>"You're big," he murmured.  
>I swallowed, remembering that I'd never retrieved the pistol from the kitchen.<br>"Who are you?" I asked him, feeling a sense of power now that I was in my own home.  
>He looked a little bit hurt. "You don't...remember me? Kezzie, you don't remember?"<br>I'll admit this too. I stumbled backwards at hearing the short form of my name.  
>"How do you know that? Who are you?"<br>Now he looked almost offended. At a leisurely pace, the guy stood and walked toward me, and being the obstinate fool I was, I stood my ground.  
>"Kezzie. C'mon, K. You really don't remember?"<br>I said nothing.  
>"Kezzie, I'm your brother, Rhett...don't you remember me?"<br>Well. That's shocking, is all I remember thinking before I fainted.

* * *

><p>"Kezzie... <em>Keeeeeeeeeezzie<em>..."  
>"Go away. Five more minutes."<br>I felt a poke on my cheek. "KEZZIE!"  
>That was when I shot up. "Huh?!"<br>Rhett sat back on his heels and grinned. "Thought I'd have to get the ice."  
>"What are you still doing here?!"<br>The smile faded from his face, somewhat. "Oh. Long story."  
>I gave him a look. "I've got time."<br>"Yep, alright. So. I'm still here 'cause, even if I wanted to leave—which I don't—I couldn't. Why? Well, big bro is special. This'll probably explain why you don't remember me. See, we had different dads. My dad was Jason Connors. Your dad...hm. I forgot your dad's name. Anyway, you have his last name, I'm sure. We had the same mom, blah blah blah. But the important part! My dad wasn't really human."  
>"What?"<br>"Nope. Mom was, but dad wasn't. Do ya know shinigami, gods of death? Yeah, he wasn't one of those. He was a...subspecies. A sub subspecies, I'll say. They're...like shinigami. But totally different. But not. I'm just saying that, like, we're closer to shinigami than, like, angels. Or squirrels. You know what, screw it. We're related to Gods of Death. But we're "gods"of something else. Gods of Time. Space. We live in a realm right next door, really. Virtually the same. But cleaner. Screw it all. Dad, and therefore I, are Keepers of Time and Space, one rank higher than shinigami. Timekeepers, I guess." He scratched his head and I sweatdropped.  
>"Now. Let's get to the other topic. Not too long ago, you said, and I quote, 'I just wish we were somewhere else!' 'Cause of our family bonds and whatnot, basically, I'm now your chauffeur and servant guy. You ever see Black Butler?"<br>"No."  
>"Um...have you ever heard of it?"<br>"No."  
>"Well. There goes a great analogy. Eh. I don't care, I'll shoot. Black Butler is about a kid who has a demon butler following him as a servant til he reaches his goal. Basically. Now. Here's a general rule of thumb. Like shinigami, only certain people'll be able to see me. But it all depends. It's kinda like this, kiddo. You and I, we're under an umbrella together, a canopy protecting against the rains of ignorance about the fact that I exist and I'm here. Now, at your whim, you can enlarge the umbrella, or pull someone else under it with you and I, and kablam, they'll see the tall pale-eyed raven-haired guy following you. And at any time, you can shove everyone back under the ignorance. Also, you're special. You've got a pretty sweet deal because, while Timekeepers and humans have familial bonds and all, this is one of the rare instances where we're this close, siblings. Plus, I like you, and so I'm not going to or even going to have to uphold to the taboo, you know, there's a huge loss for the human in the relationship, several actually, and..."<br>I nodded, taking this in. It was weird, honestly, very very weird. I had a brother—which I could not doubt, because he knew my name, and he looked like my twin (and it just...felt right)—who was a supernatural and alien being, a Timekeeper, related to Gods of Death...and who was now evidently my sort-of servant.  
><em>Yeah..anything else...? <em>  
>"Noooope."<br>I stared at Rhett. Again. "How...?"  
>He shrugged again. "I'm your blood-brother. I've got that special bond with you. To make a Spongebob reference, we're like brothers...only closer..." He laughed at the reference while I sighed. "Ergo, I can communicate mentally with you! Isn't that great?! It only works if we're in the same world, though. Stupid reception and all. Now then!" He suddenly sat up straight, becoming extremely serious.<br>"You gave me an order, little sis, so I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna take you and your guardian somewhere else for a while!"  
>That was when I remembered my frustrated sentence. "Oh...crap."<br>As soon as the word _crap_ left my mouth, Rhett laughed, almost giggled, and my whole world went dark.

* * *

><p>I woke up with my nerves on edge, the hairs on the back of my neck erect, the whole nine yards, and immediately looked around, trying to figure out where I was. Dark. Nighttime?<br>A bright light filled my vision, blinding me. My fingers dug into the ground and I recognized it as pavement. Oh, my god.  
>"Kezzie!"<br>Someone, Rhett, tackled me to the sidewalk just as a car sped by. He was breathing hard, eyes wide, and he began to laugh shakily.  
>"Kezzie...Kez, you okay?"<br>I nodded and gave him a small and halfhearted smile. Admittedly, I liked my brother. He was pretty cool.  
>He grinned and pulled me to my feet.<br>"We're still in Japan, if you're wondering. I'm no expert when it comes to deciding where we go, it's pretty random most of the time, but I'll tell you, I'm an otaku, and I can already tell that we're in the anime Death Note. Awesome!"  
>Kira liked that anime, I knew. But I'd never got around to watching any, so I was pretty clueless. I nodded and looked around this fictional Japan, wondering where Kira was.<br>It was then that I saw something that alarmed me.  
>"...R-Rhett...?" I asked, my blue eyes as wide as his were moments ago. "Rhett, can you see that?"<br>Rhett looked a little lost. He turned, looking in the direction of my gaze, a point above both his head and mine.  
>"See what, Kezz?" he looked genuinely puzzled. "Can you describe it?"<br>I nodded. "It's...right there. In red. Your name, Rhett Connors. It's just...floating there, above you. What is it, Rhett? What does it mean?"  
>My newly discovered brother sucked in a breath and gaped at me like I'd just turned fluorescent pink.<br>"My god."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, yes! That has to be the longest chapter I've ever written in an hour-long period of time! Ahem. Sorry. Anyways, I'm Moniker! Nice to meet you all! Sorry for the length...it wasn't my fault, blame my OC Aster! He did it!<br>Aster: Again with the blame. Tch. What're you, three? Don't answer that. *rolls eyes*  
>I'm a teenager, Aster! I'm too old to do such immature things. :D<br>Aster: Yep. And unicorns exist. Just saw one five minutes ago.  
>WHAT?! WHERE?!<br>Aster: *mutters* Idiot.**

**Ooookay, so, first chapter, how did I do? Is Aleks a Mary-Sue? Is Rhett a Gary-Stu? Should there be romance in this like my friend Ash keeps begging for? Should I insert a double shot of crack?  
>Please let me know! I love reviews, they help me to be a better author and person in general. :) Reviewers get a hug from the one and only ASTER-CHAN!<br>Aster: *eye twitch and fury blush* W-what?! W-why do you always ask me?  
>AHEM. Until next chapter... This is Moniker Abderian Agelastian Slash the Third to the Second Power Once Removed Junior, signing off!<br>Aster: And this is Aster Miles Valen, the original character of a nutcase. *sigh* Enjoy your lives, readers. Be glad you're not the character of Slash. She's psychotic.**


End file.
